EATING NATURALLY

.
THE WAY WE EAT
.

In this section of the newsletter we will be discussing the way people eat and the way they interact with the world around them. Is there a connection? We think there is. Think of the people you know, how they eat and how they live, how they take care of themselves, what their interests are, their passions, their concerns. Does there seem to be any kind of relationship? If you, yourself, have modified your diet, was the change a result of other changes in your attitudes or lifestyle? Or perhaps the alterations in your diet were followed by other lifestyle changes.
.

From the beginning of recorded history there have been people who have, for one reason or another, chosen to be more discriminating about what they eat. The Jews were guided not to eat pork and certain kinds of fish or fowl. They were instructed never to combine meat and milk at the same meal and not to eat the blood of any animal. Certain Hindu and Buddhists sects, in their attitude of non-injury to any living thing (Ahimsa), abstain from eating any meat at all. A significant percentage of Seventh Day Adventists also choose to eat a vegetarian diet.
.

For many people, however, this has been strictly a personal decision, unrelated to any religious affiliation. The list of famous people who have, at some point in their lives, chosen to alter their diets according to the dictates of their conscience is a stunning one. It reaches all the way back to Pythagoras and Plato and includes such influential personalities as Leonardo DaVinci, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Schweitzer, Albert Einstein, and George Barnard Shaw, just to name a few.
.

There are also whole tribes, or cultural groups, of people whose diets have been limited by the particular environment they live in. There may be very little meat available or, as in the case of the Eskimos, almost nothing but meat . One of the things we plan to examine in this column is how such limited diets may have affected the lifestyles and attitudes of these peoples.
.

This article is intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this publication is intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis and advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or health-care provider before starting any new diet or procedure involving your health. Prompt professional medical guidance is recommended for any health problem.